The Accursed Blood
by porschedriv47
Summary: The story of a Branded; his curse, his search, and the silence that will blanket Tellius. Runs concurrently with Radiant Dawn/FE10.
1. Chapter 1: The Early Years

**The Accursed Blood**

**By porschedriv47**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fire Emblem series, its characters, plots, or related; Nintendo do. I only own this story, characters, and related.

A/N: Right, so this is my second ever multi-chapter story. I don't think this story will be very original. It is mostly Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn with an original character in it. That said, there will be many changes compared to the normal story because of the OC's presence in the events.

Reviews and comments are appreciated to improve the story.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Early Years**

A man entered his middle class home in Sienne, the capital of Begnion, the largest empire on the continent of Tellius. There was a sense of urgency in the way he moved through his home. He paced down the hallway towards his wife standing at the doorway to a bedroom. She looked at him curiously as her long, sterling red hair flowed slightly from the winds coming through the balcony door. The uneasy look on the man's face startled her.

"Darren, what's wrong?" she asked.

He stopped in front of her, and looked up with worrying eyes.

"I have to tell you something very important," Darren spoke urgently. "We do not have much time."

"What is it?" She gave him her full attention.

"Liara, it is not safe for you to be in Begnion anymore," he warned. "I was right about my suspicions on the Senators. They are going to put captured Laguz into prison and labor camps."

"Does the Apostle know?" Liara asked.

"Apostle Misaha? No, I'm certain the Senate has found a way to hide this from her."

"There has to be something you can do," Liara insisted.

"I can't. I'm only an ambassador. The Senate is my superior. There isn't much I can do. I don't have any firm proof," Darren said. "All I have is eavesdropping on muffled discussions behind closed doors."

He took a quick sigh.

"Liara, you have to return to your homeland," he urged. "You have to return to Goldoa. It won't be long before citizens or even the Begnion government finds out a red dragon lives in this household. I cannot risk your safety here."

Liara looked out the door at the setting sun. "What about our child?"

"I'll take care of him, don't worry," Darren assured. He kissed her on the cheek and quickly paced back down the hallway.

Liara turned around and looked back into the bedroom. On a large bed was a cradle, with a baby boy nestled in it. He looked a lot like his mother, with her red hair and facial features. She walked over to him, and moved over his red hair, revealing a red, jagged horizontal mark across the left-handed side of the boy's upper forehead.

* * *

_Eighteen years later…_

A young man entered one of the few barracks within the capital cities. Weaving through the many soldiers entering and leaving the lobby, he arrived at one of the recruitment counters. The recruitment handler at the counter had his head down at his paperwork.

"Something I can help you with?" the counter receptionist asked plainly, his head still down.

"I would like to enlist in the Begnion forces," the young man replied.

"Another lackey who thinks he can make it?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes," the man replied sternly.

The receptionist looked up. Standing in front of him was a person that barely reached adulthood, had around average build and height, and somewhat longish red hair. The man dressed decently, and carried a somewhat determined look on his face.

"Hm. You don't look half bad," the solider commented. "What is your name?"

"Garrus," the man responded.

"Alright. Our next day for incoming recruits is two days from now. You will meet here and we will get you started," the solider instructed. "I will also need you to fill this short form."

The young man arrived a couple days later, and met a sergeant first class near the same application counter. He was the only recruit that day.

"Garrus, am I correct?" the sergeant asked, reading over the application.

"Yes sir," the young man answered.

"And why have you decided to serve in the Begnion military?"

"I thought it might be something I would do well in, and my…father passed away recently," Garrus replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the sergeant said quietly. "Judging from what you wrote, you have the potential to have an excellent military career. We are currently in need of lance soldiers, that fine?"

"Yes sir."

"Hm…I think you might want to cut your hair a bit. It's covering your forehead." The sergeant noted Garrus's loose red hair covering part of his forehead. "It's not something accustomed by the military."

"It's fine. I like it this way and can manage," Garrus said.

"Very well, you will begin your training soon. This way, I'll show you around."

_Several weeks later…_

Garrus quickly ran to and stood in the front line of the formation formed in one of the courtyards in the city. With little warning that day, soldiers suddenly started scrambling everywhere. Something big happened. As Garrus stood straight among his fellow soldiers, the captain quickly addressed the platoon.

"Your orders are to secure the city. Do not let a single person in or out of the gates. Maintain peace as necessary, and bring in anyone who appears suspicious under any circumstances. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" The platoon shouted.

"Quick questions?"

"Captain, what has happened?" a soldier shouted from behind.

The captain closed his eyes. "Apostle Misaha has been assassinated."

Silence hung over the entire courtyard. Everyone was in a state of slight shock, but no one wasted time and quickly followed their commanding officers into the city. Garrus followed his for a few minutes, aware that many civilians were watching them rushing through the streets.

"Private, keep watch on that area over there," his commanding officer ordered.

"Yes sir." Garrus stood tall on the side of the road with his iron lance straight up, and kept watch around the area. It was a fairly wealthy area of the city. He quickly noticed a small group of people gathering. Garrus approached quietly to avoid attention and listened in on the conversation.

"The Senate said the Apostle was murdered by the Herons."

"The Herons look so harmless like they wouldn't even hurt a fly, but they are just like any other subhuman."

"We will burn their forest, in the name of our Apostle!"

"Wait! You must reconsider."

Garrus noticed a sage with long black hair in the group, trying to speak reason into the civilians. The sage quickly began to look ill, and collapsed to the ground.

"Lord Sage, are you alright?"

"Ugh…"

"Wings! He has wings! He is one of those damn subhumans. Get him!"

The sage with large black wings stumbled up quickly in panic and began to run. He blew right past Garrus. Garrus immediately stood guard and halted the pursuing civilians.

"What are doing? Can't you see we are chasing that filthy subhuman?" one shouted angrily.

"My orders are to maintain the peace in this city, no exceptions," Garrus said firmly.

"Fine," another said reluctantly. "Bet you are just like that wretched man, a subhuman disguised among beorcs."

And that one sentence touched a nerve of guilt in Garrus' heart.

* * *

_Twenty years later…_

"I'm sorry Lieutenant, but all requests to leave the Begnion army are left on hold. We have just allied ourselves with Crimea in the fight against Daein."

Garrus gave a sigh. He had been trying to retire from the army for months now. Over the past several years, he began to catch more suspicious glances, particularly from veteran soldiers.

"Look, I've served on active duty for the last twenty years. At least put me on the reserve forces," Garrus insisted.

"I can send your request again to the officials, but I can't guarantee anything," the female secretary said.

Garrus gave another sigh and proceeded to sit down next to a fellow solider in the waiting room.

"No luck again huh?" the soldier asked.

"Yeah. I'm getting tired and old of the military life," Garrus commented.

"You do look quite young for your age," the soldier replied. "May have a few more years left."

"Yeah, but it doesn't hide the fact I'm feeling tired on the inside," Garrus chuckled.

"If there's anything I can help you with…" the soldier began.

"Captain Levail, it's going to need more than just your word to allow me to leave, but I will appreciate whatever you can do," Garrus interrupted.

Levail looked over at Garrus and nodded. "Very well. I have important business to attend to, Lieutenant. When the day's over, we will head out for some drinks. It's been a while."

"Sounds good."

Levail got up and left the room. Garrus got up as well and randomly walked through the hallways of the garrison building, eventually walking through a slightly dark stone hallway. Garrus began to hear running footsteps, and stopped to look around him. Immediately, Garrus was strangled around the neck as two men knocked him to the ground.

"Hold him there," Garrus heard one of the men said.

Garrus opened his eyes and found a knife right at his face. He couldn't see the face of the man holding the knife. The man used the knife to cut a small bit of hair covering the left-handed side of Garrus' forehead.

"You're one of the Branded," the man said.

"What are you-"

"Don't play bullshit on me. You know what I'm talking about," the man shot back. Garrus could now see the man and his buddies were Begnion soldiers. "Tie his hands."

They forced Garrus on his feet and tied his hands behind his back.

"You know soldier, I can easily have you court martialed for this," Garrus threatened.

"And you are a crime against the Goddess," the soldier shot back.

"How dare you-" Before Garrus could even finish, the soldier threw a massive punch across Garrus' left cheek. Garrus' gave a small grunt, his left jaw beginning to ache.

"What's going here?"

All four of them looked and found Captain Levail watching them. The soldier grabbed Garrus by the hair and held his head up to show Levail the jagged mark on Garrus' forehead.

"Is that anyway to treat your superior, sergeant?" Levail asked in a dangerous tone.

"He's one of the branded, sir" the soldier answered. "He deserves to executed!"

"I assume that means that you don't realize that the Lieutenant made a pact with the spirit world years ago," Levail replied.

The lower soldiers looked nervously at each other then back at the captain. Levail only maintained his firm face.

"Get out of here," Levail shot.

The soldier and his friends immediately ran nosily out of sight.

"We need to discuss about this. Follow me," Levail ordered Garrus after untying his wrists.

Garrus followed Levail through the many hallways of the military building, and entered Levail's personal office. He closed the door quickly and walked towards his desk.

"Garrus, what is that mark on the left-hand side of your forehead?" Levail asked shortly.

Garrus remained quiet.

"That soldier was right wasn't he, that you are one of the Branded?"

"Yes," Garrus answered quietly. His tone became very defensive and he glared at Levail. Levail held his hands up, signaling no ill will.

"I swear by the Goddess that your secret is safe with me," Levail assured. "However, we need to get you out of here as soon as possible. I don't think he is going to be quiet about what he just found out."

"Don't worry, I'll find a way to leave the service soon enough," Garrus replied.

"No, you must leave now," Levail insisted. "I'll handle everything else. You can't walk around here anymore with that mark visible on your forehead. It's going to become much more dangerous for you."

"How are you going to convince them to make my leave official?" Garrus asked.

"I have a contact, a man who does a lot of work for General Zelgius of the Central Army," Levail answered. "Zelgius' requests usually never get denied."

"Very well, I'll leave Sienne right away," Garrus said.

"Wait, before you leave, I want you to have this." Levail walked over to his weapon rack, lifted a masterfully crafted blue lance, and placed it on his desk.

"What is it?" Garrus asked.

"It's a Wishblade, the most powerful lance made today. It's only given to highly honored soldiers," Levail said. "There are only a few of them around. I want you to have this one."

"I don't think I deserve this," Garrus declined.

"You are more of a fighting talent then you belive," Levail assured. "Take it as a way of remembering our service to the Empire together."

"Thank you, Captain."

"You're welcome, Lieutenant."

Garrus went down to his dorm, and got dressed into his civilian clothes. He packed his armor into a backpack, and walked to the exit of the building, carrying his Wishblade lance at his side. As he approached the exit gate, the two soldiers standing on guard blocked the archway.

"Where are you headed?" one of the guards asked.

"Into the city. I'm leaving the service," Garrus replied shortly.

"You look pretty young for someone who's leaving the service," the guard said.

"Yes, personal issues, family," Garrus said. He noticed the other guard looking suspiciously at him.

"Your notice of leave, please?" the guard requested.

"Hang on, I think this is the person some crazy guy ranted about earlier," the second guard said. "Said something about a person with a Branded mark on his forehead."

"Huh…" The first guard observed Garrus. "You're right. You're going to have to come with us."

"Why?" Garrus asked.

"There was this guy who went on about a Branded he saw earlier, and you fit that description," the first guard explained.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Garrus suggested.

"And why is that?"

"Well, your partner said it was some crazy guy, so I wouldn't believe a crazy guy," Garrus answered.

"There he is! That's the damn Branded I was talking about!" someone shouted from the building.

Garrus quickly looked to find the same soldier earlier pointing at him. The guards quickly looked at each other and immediately dove for Garrus. Garrus quickly thrusted the sharp end of the Wishblade at the first guard, then forced it the other way to knock the second guard behind him off balance. Garrus quickly turned around and slashed the lance right across the second guard's chest.

Without hesitation, Garrus sprinted for the city. He only glanced briefly behind him to find Begnion soldiers chasing after him. He dove straight into a crowded market area, shoving people out of the way, rushing for a city gate. He was almost at a gate, but quickly found it completely blocked by a caravan.

"Of course…" Garrus muttered in frustration. He looked back and saw the soldiers coming closer, shouting at civilians to get out of the way. Garrus desperately looked around, finding no quickly way of losing sight of them.

A hand suddenly grabbed Garrus by the arm and led him straight into a hidden alleyway. It was lit, but fairly dim. Garrus looked at the alleyway exit to see soldiers running by.

"Garrus, what are you doing here?" the voice asked.

Garrus looked and found a Pegasus Knight standing in front of him. She stood tall, had neck-length blue hair, and wore a white outfit with a golden colored chest plate, shoulder plates, headband, and a white cape.

"Catalena? Aren't you supposed to be with the Holy Guard right now?" Garrus asked.

"I was on my way," Catalena answered. "Why were they chasing you?"

"Uh…they…" Garrus tried to come up with an answer.

"They found out didn't they?" Catalena asked.

"Yes, but I…"

"That's not important." Catalena led Garrus towards a single wooden door at the city wall.

"You will be leaving won't you?" She asked with a solemn tone.

Garrus nodded.

"How long?"

"I don't know. Several months, years, I'm not really sure," Garrus answered.

"You will come back won't you?"

"Yes, I will."

"I wish you luck, Garrus," Catalena said after a long pause, eyes closed.

"You're being a lot more serious than you normally are, you know that?" Garrus noted.

"I'm sorry, I've been placed as acting deputy commander of the Holy Guard since Commander Sigrun and Deputy Commander Tanith both left for Crimea to accompany Apostle Sanaki," She explained.

"That position suits you just fine. You are more like Tanith everyday," Garrus teased. "She is having a bad influence on you."

"You can't be a commander if you are all soft and flexible," Catalena stated sternly.

"Yes, but that wouldn't describe Commander Sigrun would it?"

Catalena became silent.

"Sorry, just giving you a hard time," Garrus apologized. "I have to get going now, before the Begnion guards find me."

"Good luck, Garrus," Catalena said sadly. She walked up to Garrus and gave him a big hug.

Garrus headed for the door, and turned around before going through it.

"I hope to see you again, Katie," Garrus called.

Catalena waved good-bye as Garrus walked through the doorway, leaving the city.

* * *

Garrus sat near a cliff overlooking Sienne and the sunset. Already he was homesick, wishing he could see Catalena again, and wishing he could still serve under Captain Levail. The loneliness was rapidly catching up to him.

"Decades of hiding," Garrus muttered to himself. "One effective curse."

"Yes it is."

Garrus found a swordswoman standing next to him. She had chin-length blue hair and wore a dark outfit.

Garrus looked up at her, and she continued to look down at him.

"I-I'm sorry?" Garrus finally managed to force out.

"You're not like those people in the city are you? I can tell," the swordswoman remarked.

"Have you been stalking me?" Garrus asked, on guard.

"Stalking is harsh way of putting it," she said. "The Branded have a certain way of trying to blend in among Beorcs. I've been watching you for a few weeks now, when you're outside on duty. You tend to avoid getting too close to people, refuse to discuss your past life, and I've heard of rumors of a young-looking soldier trying to leave the ranks."

"Yes, that would be me," Garrus confirmed. "What are you trying to say?"

"I am just like you. Beorc and Laguz blood both run through my veins," the swordswoman said. "I come from a village in the Grann Desert, led by our leader Stefan. There are other Branded like us, and you will no longer feel like an outsider there."

"I find that hard to believe," Garrus commented. "Being Branded is a crime against the Goddess. A place of acceptance is impossible."

"If you don't believe me, I don't blame you," the swordswoman said. "Many do not wish to believe that there is a place where they can be accepted. However, what I'm telling you is true. If you come with me to the Grann Desert, you will meet others like you, and you will no longer be an outsider to everyone."

Garrus gave the offer some thought. "I…I'm not certain about this, but I'll come with you."

"May I ask your name?" She asked.

Garrus stood up and looked at her. "My name is Garrus. I once served in the Begnion Army, Second Lieutenant Halberdier under Captain Levail."

"I'm Serina, swordmaster, citizen of our unnamed village in the desert, and assistant to our leader Stefan," Serina introduced. "May I ask what Laguz blood runs through your veins?"

Garrus became hesitant, and then slowly let it out. "My father was a Beorc, and my mother was a Laguz, a red dragon Laguz."

Serina's eyes widened as she immediately grew fascinated by the Laguz side of Garrus' blood.

"We better be going now," Garrus reminded.

"Of course."


	2. Chapter 2: Search for the Maiden

**Chapter 2: Search for the Maiden**

In the middle of the Grann Desert, in a small village, Garrus had lived among Branded like himself for three years. He had shortened his red hair to a few inches at longest, feeling no more shame with living with a mark. He was packing for a trip to the north, having heard of intriguing rumors. He stepped outside his tent, as the desert sands blew lightly, close to the ground. Garrus walked along the village, arriving at a small armory.

"This should do. Changed the armor and color enough so it doesn't look like the Begnion style," the smith told Garrus.

Garrus looked out north, even though the blowing sand limited visibility.

"Heading out soon, Garrus?" a woman asked from behind.

"In a few moments," Garrus answered. "Serina, did you tell Stefan?"

"Yes, I did, though he is wondering where you are going, and why," Serina replied.

"I've been told this rumor by the last merchant that passed by here. He said that Daein is being oppressed by the Begnion Occupation forces, and the country has fallen into poverty and despair," Garrus explained.

"Your family from Daein?"

"My father was, but the rumor is there is a silver-haired fortune teller with miraculous healing powers. She is leading a small group whose goal is to liberate and create a free Daein. Last I heard, the group is in the capital. I will be heading there," Garrus said. "The girl with the healing powers can heal those to the touch. It is a very curious thing for a Beorc to have."

"Oh, I see where you are going with this," Serina realized.

"She may be reluctant though. Even if she doesn't come, I'll help her fight for a free Daein even though I once served Begnion, and Daein had the Mad King. I highly disapprove of oppression occupation tatics," Garrus stated. "I will be leaving in a few moments, just need to pack a few last things."

"You are not going to take your lance?" Serina asked. She went into Garrus' tent and took out his Wishblade.

"No, only the most skilled soldiers in the Begnion army are allowed to have that lance," Garrus explained. "It is not a good idea for me to have that around. I'll just carry a normal one."

"It is a good idea to grow your hair though," Serina pointed out. "You need to hide that mark since you won't be among your own kind anymore."

"It will be long enough by the time I reach the border, don't worry." Garrus packed the last few items he needed, donned his armor, and waved goodbye to Serina and the rest of the village.

* * *

**Daein-Begnion Border**

Garrus had been traveling for just over a week, when he approached the border of the two countries. He was thankful that he hadn't come across a single person since he departed his village, even along the road he was traveling on. As Garrus neared the border, he saw Begnion guards ahead him. He can tell that they had noticed him. He checked to make sure his mark was hidden on is forehead. As Garrus came up to the gate, one of the guards walked directly to him, in the most autocratic mood possible.

"This territory is off-limits," the guard spoke firmly.

"Just passing through," Garrus asserted.

"This country is off-limits," the guard repeated. "You will need to turn around, and why are you in armor and armed?"

"I'm a traveling mercenary, on my way to Navassa. I'm wearing armor and carrying a weapon because of the recent riots I've heard on Daein lately," Garrus answered. "I've also heard your forces in the capital need some skilled fighters."

The guard observed Garrus and was easily impressed by Garrus' equipment. He walked over to his colleagues and had a small chat. The guard went back to Garrus and let him pass. "Very well, you may proceed. Be warned, if you cause problems, we will do more than interfere."

Garrus proceeded into Daein, and within hours reached a small town. Garrus had to deal with a patrolling soldier much the same way as the border guard. He quickly noticed the town only had children, women, and the elder. He was emotionally crushed at the sight of the town. The citizens were sitting on the side of the roads, depressed and exhausted. The buildings were deteriorating from neglect. The town carried a helpless brown and gray color. He decided to enter a small shop, quickly getting a suspicious glance from the senior lady behind the counter. She quickly became slightly confused when she noticed Garrus was not a Begnion soldier.

"You are armed, but you are new here, and not one of them," the senior lady said softly.

Garrus nodded.

The lady looked to the side and began pacing. "They robbed us, put the country into poverty, crushed the will of the people, dragged men into labor camps, and took all of our rights away." She stopped pacing and looked up at Garrus. "Daein will die if it continues."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Garrus frowned. "I am heading to Navassa. I am looking for…someone."

"The Silver-Haired Maiden, am I correct?" the lady inquired.

"Yes," Garrus' eyes lit up. "Do you know anything about her?"

"She is indeed in Navassa, the capital of Daein. She leads a group called the Dawn Brigade, who fight for us, for a free Daein. I will sell you supplies, but be wary out there. I can only wonder if the Apostle knows of this…"

Some time passed when Garrus approached another guard post just over a week's walk from Navassa. A guard approached him and asked predictable questions. What made this questioning different was the supervising general walked over to Garrus and the guard in the middle of their exchange. The general stopped right next to Garrus, and had a very familiar face.

"We meet again," the general smirked.

Garrus recognized the general as the same sergeant who discovered Garrus' secret and tried to bring him in over three years ago.

"Arrest him and take him to the prison near here," the general ordered.

Garrus wanted to kill the general, but he quickly observed his surroundings, seeing the many armed soliders and archers ready should he resist. Frustrated, his hands were tied behind his back, and he was forced to walk for an hour towards a large prison. As he entered the prison, he noticed many able-bodied men in their cells. The guards took Garrus' weapon taken away, but he kept his armor. He was shoved into his own small cell. He remained in there as the days rolled by. Steadily, Garrus' health began to deteriorate from the poor conditions in the prison, and the lack of necessities he was getting. The other prisoners were mostly Daein soldiers. The Daein soldiers would make small talk when the guards weren't around, their morale crushed. Garrus began to lose track of time after the first few days, maybe a couple weeks had passed before he eavesdropped on an interesting conversation that piqued his interest.

"I heard our other forces in the country are having major problems right now," the first soldier said.

"Problems?" a second soldier asked.

"Yeah. Our forces in other regions are getting pummeled by a liberation army led by King Ashnard's son and the silver-haired girl."

Garrus suddenly lifted up his head and began to give the conversation much more attention.

"King Ashnard had a son?"

"Yeah, and now that liberation army is only a few days away from here. I think they might attack here and free all these former soldiers."

"This is the largest prison, and that army doesn't have much momentum, does it? We better tell our general just in case."

"I don't think we need to tell him. He already knows and is getting egotistic about it."

Garrus sat there, giving thought to what he just heard. He continued to wait, hoping for the day the liberation army would arrive. The day came a few days later on a gloomy and cloudy day. The commanding general, who was different from the other that imprisoned him, walked by his cell and up to a guard.

"Sir, they are outside the prison gates!" the guard reported in a panic.

"Deal with them, my elite guard shall remain around me," the general ordered.

"But sir, if your elite guard remains here…" the guard started.

"Who do you think you're talking to soldier? Follow my orders and take down that damn army!" the general shot firmly.

"Yes sir!" The guard ran off towards the prison entrance.

It was silent for the next few moments before Garrus heard noise on the other side of the prison. It was the sound of fighting; swords clashing and magic being casted. The noise got louder as the fighting got closer. Soon he could see magic being casted across the gap from his cell. Cell gates were opened as the imprisoned former Daein soldiers were being freed. Garrus noticed one of the jailors about to run past his cell. Garrus quickly ran up to the door.

"Excuse me!" Garrus shouted.

"What do you want, prisoner?" the jailer shot, exhausted. "Can't you see I have a big problem to deal with right now?"

"Of course I can." Garrus threw a powerful punch up the jailor's chin through the jail door. The jailor collapsed onto the floor. "That's why I'm getting out of here."

Garrus grabbed the keys off the jailor and unlocked the cell door. He walked out and grabbed the lance on the ground. He quickly navigated through the prison, avoiding the chaos whenever possible. He was having slight trouble keeping balance, having not moved much in his armor in a while. Garrus thankfully only had to deal with one guard, who was quickly taken care of. He quickly ran towards the exit. As he ran around one of the corners, he was stunned in the head. Someone grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, and a knife was held up to his throat.

"Wait, I don't think he is one of the guards."

Garrus opened his eyes to see a young man with green hair in front of him, holding the knife at Garrus' throat. Standing behind him was a blue-haired swordsman.

"Hm…you're probably right," the young green-haired rouge said. He released his grip on Garrus and lowered the knife. "You look different from everyone else."

"Traveling through Daein when I was..." Garrus hesitated for a bit. "…randomly arrested." Garrus looked off into the distant fighting. "I would like to help you."

The rouge and swordsman looked an each other and the swordsman motioned a suggestion to have Garrus along.

"Follow us." The rouge and swordsman ran towards the east end of the prison, into the fighting. Garrus followed. By the time they arrived at the east end, the last of the fighting had ended, the general slain, and the prison seized. There was massive cheering as all the Daein soldiers were freed. As they departed the prison, Garrus walked alongside the blue-haired swordsman. The rouge ran off somewhere.

"May I ask your name?" the swordsman asked.

"It's Garrus," Garrus answered shortly.

"Zihark." They shook hands. "You look like a very seasoned soldier," Zihark commented.

"Been doing much mercenary work lately," Garrus answered. "By lately, I mean before I got thrown into a cell back there. Who was the person that was with you, the one that held a knife up at me?"

"That's Sothe," Zihark replied. "He is a very protective friend of Micaiah."

"Micaiah?"

"She is the head of the Liberation Army. The people know her as the Silver-Haired Maiden," Zihark answered.

"I see…" Garrus followed the march all the way back to camp, exchanging no more than small talk with Zihark. At the camp, Garrus walked around looking for the Silver-Haired Maiden, with no avail. He decided to look later, as she was likely busy with the debriefing of the earlier mission. With the sun quickly setting, he sat against a large tree on the outskirts of the camp, forgetting about dinner. He noticed a small group standing outside a large tent with a young girl. Garrus squinted and noticed the silver hair. He gave a sigh as he realized she is far too busy with the duties of command to have much free time to talk to an unknown mercenary.

_I will have to try another time,_ he thought. He sat against the tree and fell asleep.

Garrus woke up to the smell of eggs and toast. Slightly startled, he sat up and looked down to find a fresh plate of breakfast next to him with a fork. The plate was still warm. He looked around to see if he could find the person who left it there for him. The only clue was a young priest chatting with a soldier in the distance. Garrus picked up the plate and tried the food. It was surprisingly delicious. He finished at a moderate pace and walked into the camp towards the priest. As he approached the short girl in a rugged dress, she turned around, noticed Garrus, and gave a big smile.

"Oh, hello. You must be the one I left the breakfast for," the priest said cheerfully. "I hope you liked it."

"I certainly did," Garrus replied with a light smile. "I just wanted to thank you."

"You're welcome," the girl continued with her perkiness. "You look like you are new here. Have you met Micaiah yet?"

"No, I haven't," Garrus answered. "You seem to know her. Do you know where she is?"

"Hm, I don't know. She has been all over the place lately," the girl noted.

That afternoon, Micaiah was busy tending to wounded soldiers. She had one heck of busy schedule, thought Garrus. At about midday she was running out of the camp with her personal friends, off to save citizens from Begnion soldiers trying to drown them in a swamp, from what Garrus heard. He spent the entire day simply standing and observing the camp. He should be training or simply enlist as a regular soldier, but something told him it would not be best for him. She arrived close to dinner, on a high ledge to the sound of cheering soldiers. She waved, sending the crowd into a cheering frenzy. Garrus was left in awe.

As almost the entire camp went to greet the Silver-Haired Maiden, Garrus observed for a couple moments before heading into one of the larger tents where the young girl and her friends would be dining for the night. He sat down at the large table to rest his legs from standing all day. All the china had been placed in an orderly fashion, along with a specially decorated chair. The prince eats here too. Garrus looked at the glasses and noticed the one placed next to him was filled. The drink had a rather delicious lemon color to it. Garrus picked up the glass and observed it. He shrugged and drank from the glass. He squirmed at the peculiar flavor which tasted much like sour medicine. Garrus placed down the glass and got up. As he approached the tent exit, he began to cough. Immediately, he collapsed onto his hands and knees as his head suffered from a piercing headache and his body burned with crippling pain. Suddenly, his thinking became very violent, his heart was pounding slowly against his chest, his breathing was shaky, he was very hot, and sweaty. He looked up, and through his severely blurred vision could barely make out a young boy looking down at him. The boy sprinted out of the tent. Garrus grunted as he turned onto his back. His body now feels as though it was mutating, now causing him to almost yell in pain. His thinking is now very chaotic, nothing but noise and the compulsion to violence. He wanted to kill now.

He did not notice the silver-haired girl, her close friend, or the young boy next to him, calling out to him. He could not hear through the chaos in his mind. They continued, with no avail. Garrus began to hear a muffled song through his ears. The violent compulsions in Garrus' mind began to calm, his body beginning to ease itself. The pounding of his heart waned. As the song became clearer, its beautiful tone eased Garrus into a blissful state of mind. The tones continued gently as he closed his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3: The Sunset and the Knight

**Chapter 3: The Sunset and the Knight**

"...will be fine."

"He has been unconscious for days now. Are you sure he is ok?"

"The Galdr of Rebirth returns twisted bodies and souls to their proper states. He should be fine and wake up any day now. I will be leaving. There are topics I must discuss with Nailah."

"Thank you, Rafiel."

The angelic Heron prince proceeded slowly to the outside of the tent.

Garrus slowly opened his eyes. He was lying down sideways on a medical rack. He saw a well-dressed young girl with silver-hair standing in front of him. Her back was facing him, unaware that he had woken up. Garrus turned over onto his back. The silver-haired girl looked around and gasped. She kneeled down and wiped his forehead with a cloth.

Garrus closed his eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Almost a week," Micaiah answered.

Garrus sat up and got up. He headed towards the exit of the tent.

"Are you feeling well?" Micaiah asked.

Garrus stopped and didn't even look back. "I'm fine."

As Garrus left the tent, he found a crowd gathering around a short, cheerful, red-haired boy. Micaiah walked past Garrus to the front of the crowd. The boy spoke with a rather loud voice, claiming to be bringing in news from the empire.

"Attention! Big news afoot! Apostle Sanaki has ordered the imperial forces to cease all military action immediately. She has formed an inspection team to investigate abuses in the Daein occupation. It will be lead by Duke Persis," the boy proclaimed.

"Duke Persis…you mean Prime Minister Sephiran?" Micaiah asked.

"Tormod, what kind of man is he?" Sothe asked to the red-haired boy.

"He's…He's the best person ever! He is very influential and high up, but he never stood on ceremony with us," Tormod answered.

"Well, I guess we better spread the word then," Sothe smiled.

The soldiers ran off with cheers and with morale great enough to charge against a mountain. One particular person was not. He was short, hunch-backed, an evil old scientist in a blue robe. He was pacing about rabidly, flinging his arms in the air ranting about. He was attracting a fair amount of attention from Micaiah and the prince. The rest of Micaiah's close friends gathered. Garrus walked over slowly and began listening in.

"No, the war can't end now! We keep going, we need to test my experiments!" the old man flailed in a crackling voice.

"Experiments?" Tormod asked slightly puzzled.

"I have developed weapons that will assure our victory! Weapons! Living Weapons! Feral Ones!" the old man screamed.

"You…Feral Ones are Laguz forced into their beast forms and become psychotic! Not to mention greatly reducing their life spans!" the Tormod shouted.

"No worries. Sacrifices must be made in the name of victory," the old man continued. "And now my only sample has been drunk by the wrong person!"

"You! You were the one who poisoned…"

Micaiah was interrupted by a person shoving through the group. They stood aside as Garrus stormed towards the old scientist. The scientist grew nervous and braced for an onslaught. Garrus walked up, grabbed the old man's robe, and lifted him in the air. Garrus' blood was boiling.

"You think you can poison people?" Garrus spoke in a quiet yet threatening voice. "You think you can poison me in hopes of creating insane super soldiers!"

Micaiah and the group fell completely silent. The old man merely looked down at Garrus terrified. The Prince of Daein ran up to Garrus in an attempt to speak reason into him.

"Please, sir, calm down. Izuka didn't mean to poison you. It was meant for a sub-hum…"

Garrus shot a glance over at the prince. The prince froze and became pale. Garrus dropped the old man, who landed with a thud. Garrus walked right up to the prince's face. The prince was now as equally terrified as the old man.

"Oh, so the racist Prince of Daein is defending an insane scientist and his methods of twisting innocent souls into weapons!" Garrus shouted.

The gathering continued the complete silence. The soldiers in the camp thankfully did not notice the situation. Garrus noticed a large lance pointed at his chest from the general in white armor standing next to the prince, a clear threat to stand down. Garrus took a deep sigh and looked at the prince.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Garrus forced out.

The prince gave a small yet nervous nod. Garrus turned around and walked out of the group. The silence remained as he left the camp after finding his lance. He walked briskly into the thicker woods, hoping that no one would follow him. He settled on an area that wasn't too far to the camp, nor difficult to find should someone come looking for him. Garrus sat down against a tree, and looked up at the sky. It was the middle of sunset, with the moon visible above the trees. He looked down at the ground and closed his eyes.

_Garrus was a teenager. He couldn't remember the exact time, it was a while ago…_

_Garrus was chasing a student and his friends on the school yard. Garrus was surprisingly quick, as he caught up to the teenager and tackled him to the ground. He turned the teen over and held his arm firmly against the teen's throat. The teen started choking under the pressure._

"_How many times have I told you? I want you to lay off the jokes, the rumors, everything!" Garrus shot. He lifted up his left hand and threw a punch across the student's face, and released his grip._

_The student quickly scuttled onto his feet with help from his friends, gasping for air._

"_You are going to regret that, but I'll tell you what," the teen spat. "You let this slide, and we won't go about exposing you."_

_Garrus suddenly became confused and defensive. "What are you talking about?"_

"_Oh, don't think we do not know about your little secret," the teen suddenly smiled._

"_Secret, but…" Garrus stuttered, but was interrupted._

"_Word spreads quickly among the bad boys," the teen grinned. "You know what? I say we will keep on teasing and beating you. Unless you want word to spread and receive your death sentence, you will keep your mouth shut."_

"_Ain't that a joy, Branded?" one of the friends joined._

_Garrus stood completely hopeless, scared. Seeing this, the teen and his friends began laughing hysterically and pointed at him. Garrus turned around and ran as hard as he could._

_He had lost…again._

Garrus woke up but kept his eyes closed. He clenched his right hand. He was getting angry again through his shaky breathing, but he slowly relaxed. He heard muffled female voices nearby. The conversation quickly ended, and one of them walked in Garrus' direction. He kept his eyes closed, pretending to still be sleeping. The girl nearly tripped over Garrus' leg but maneuvered around it. The girl kneeled down in front of him and tapped him on the shoulder. Garrus opened his eyes. It was Micaiah.

"What are you doing out here?" Garrus asked quietly.

"I wanted to get away from the celebration," Micaiah answered. "I have talked to far too many people today."

Micaiah seemed distracted as she was constantly staring at Garrus, as if something is bothering her.

"Is there something wrong?" Garrus asked slowly.

"When you grabbed Izuka, I have never seen anyone express so much pain through hate," Micaiah noted. "And when you left, you became depressed, as if you have gone through the same hopeless situation many times."

Garrus gave a heavy sigh. "It's what happens when you have to endure it for years."

"Not years, decades."

Garrus looked at Micaiah, caught slightly off guard. He wasn't sure if she meant a couple decades, or if she saw past that. Before Garrus could ask what she meant, a golden-and-red colored bird flew to Micaiah's shoulder and chirped.

"Yune! You had to slip away from the banquet, too? Silly you. You're…kind of a mysterious bird, you know that?" Micaiah said cheerfully yet exhaustively.

"Are you feeling well?" Garrus asked.

"I'm very tired," Micaiah said quietly. "It won't be long before we go back to Navassa…"

Micaiah sat down next to Garrus, against the tree, and slipped into a nap. Garrus was tempted to do the same, but he decided it wasn't a good idea to leave the most important person in all of Daein undefended. He sat where he was as he watched the night sky with the moon glowing above trees. The sounds of the celebration from the camp can be faintly heard. After what felt like a painfully long hour, Garrus gave up and fell asleep.

Garrus woke up suddenly from the sound of people stepping on branches not too far away from him. He listened carefully to make sure. The sounds from the celebration aren't as audible but still heard. It was likely another hour or two into the night. Garrus heard more faint footsteps again, and this time accompanied by very quiet murmurs. Garrus gave a gentle tap on Micaiah's left shoulder. She slowly stirred awake, but obeyed Garrus' motion to remain as quiet as possible. Garrus leaned his head towards her left ear.

"We are being watched. Be on your guard," Garrus whispered.

Micaiah nodded. Both Garrus and Micaiah carefully got on their feet, and began moving quietly towards the camp. They did not get very far before a Begnion soldier appeared out of the darkness in front of them.

"General Jarod?" Micaiah almost cried.

"How trusting of you to escape the idiot's ball and sleep in the forest with your handsome fiancé next to you, Priestess of Dawn," Jarod sneered. "If you really can work miracles, you better come up with one now."

Garrus and Micaiah took a couple steps back, only to feel sharp weapons against their backs.

"Damn it," Garrus cursed under his breath.

"He is not my fiancé," Micaiah asserted. "Why are you here?"

"I'm doomed, thanks to you," Jarod shot. "If I go down, the revered Vice-General of the Daein Liberation Army is going down with me!"

"Even if you kill me, so long as the prince lives, Daein will continue to fight," Micaiah stated proudly.

"The prince? Ha, he is a sham. He could never shine," Jarod retorted. "No, the real light comes from you, Priestess of Dawn. I will kill you and extinguish all hope this country has left!"

A sudden noise of a giant sword slashing through armor came from Garrus' right. The entire group looked over at one of the Begnion soldiers who fell down from an attack from the rear. Not to waste a single moment of the distraction, Garrus grabbed his lance off his back and began attacking and knocking down the soldiers surrounding him. Micaiah aided with light magic, blinding the eyes adjusted to the darkness. Chaos ensued, as the soldiers fled into the dark woods. Jarod groaned in frustration. He took his lance and began charging towards Micaiah. She gasped, but a large figure in armor suddenly warped in front of her, and slammed Jarod with enough force to send him flying several feet back. Jarod landed with a great thud. The figure that stood in front of Micaiah was a tall knight in heavy plated black armor and helm, with a red cape. The knight carried a massive sword that was over half his height and was large and heavy enough to wipe out three men with a single swing. Garrus stood next to Micaiah on guard, just in case.

"Who are you?" Micaiah asked slightly out of breath.

"Be at ease, Maiden. I shall not let him harm you or your friend," the knight proclaimed. "I was once one of the Four Riders of old Daein. If you recall the name of the Black Knight, you will withdraw from this place at once."

Jarod got on his feet with skepticism. "Right, that's precious. In case you haven't heard, the legendary Black Knight died in the war. But let's put your claim to the test, if only to indulge my own amusement."

"Then learn your folly."

The Black Knight began charging towards Jarod. Jarod suddenly became very pale as he was not even ready to deal with the charge alone. He braced, and Garrus thought he may have caught a brief moment in which Jarod looked like he regretted challenging the knight. As the Black Knight raised his massive sword, Garrus saw at the corner of his eye a Begnion soldier jumping in between Jarod and the sword. The soldier took the blow mid-air and slammed onto the ground. The solider began bleeding profusely from the fatal wound.

"Alder! What in the world are you doing here?" Jarod ran over.

"I would rather fight beside by general than create a distraction with the other soldiers," Alder said weakly.

"Damn it, you idiot! Who asked you to join me?" Jarod asked with frustration.

"General Jarod, you were a terror to work under," Alder spoke. "Even so, I've always sensed a kindred spirit in you. I will follow you till the end, to the gates of the abyss…"

Jarod gave a sigh as Alder closed his eyes. Jarod then looked up at the Black Knight.

"Well, aren't you going to kill me?" Jarod asked.

"My sword is not made to kill those who will not raise their weapons," the Knight said.

"Is this a joke?" Jarod asked in disbelief.

"That's enough!" Micaiah shouted. "This man has died protecting you. Don't waste it."

Jarod gave a small grunt and walked away. As he passed Garrus, they exchanged glares. Micaiah turned to the Black Knight.

"Sir Knight, thank you for saving me and my friend," Micaiah said gratefully.

"No thanks are needed," the Knight said kindly.

"Come on, the camp is this way," Garrus directed. They only walked for a brief moment before hearing a voice calling.

"Micaiah, are you there?"

"That's Sothe's voice!" Micaiah cried. She walked quickly towards the voice with Garrus and the Knight following behind. As they got closer, Micaiah ran to Sothe and they embraced each other.

"There you are Micaiah," Sothe sighed in relief. "I've been looking for you for hours."

"I was attacked by Jarod," Micaiah explained. "These two saved me."

Sothe looked over at Garrus. "You must be that mercenary who scared Izuka half to death. Garrus, correct?"

Garrus nodded.

"And you…" Sothe finally noticed the presence of the Black Knight. In the darkness of the forest the Knight was quite hard to see. Sothe stood in front of Micaiah, guarding her.

"Sothe, what are you doing?" Micaiah demanded.

"Micaiah, do you know who he is?" Sothe asked.

"Of course I do," Micaiah answered. "He's the Black Knight of the Four Riders of Daein."

"Exactly! He's that scum that General Ike defeated in Crimea three years ago, in a collapsing castle!" Sothe continued. "I don't know how he is standing here, alive."

"You are correct, Sothe. Ike did defeat me, in a fashion, but I managed to escape," the Knight acknowledged.

Sothe grabbed Micaiah's hand and dragged her off to camp. Garrus could hear them arguing about the Black Knight. He was about to following them back to the camp, but he hesitated. Garrus looked over at the Black Knight to find the warrior looking at him. Garrus became slightly unnerved.

"Is…there something I can do for you?" Garrus asked nervously.

"It is nothing," the Knight responded after a brief moment.

Garrus gave a small nod and proceeded back to the camp. He remained outside of a tent listening in to Micaiah and Sothe's argument. The Black Knight was in attendance. Garrus went searching for his tent when he heard Micaiah convinced Sothe through the common goal for a revived Daein. He found a tall, small tent with his belongings in it. Surprised that someone actually gave him his own personal space, he laid his lance next to his light bed. He heard someone tapping his tent and Garrus went outside. Micaiah and Sothe were standing before him.

"A surprise to see you two here," Garrus noted.

"I wanted to talk to you alone but Sothe insisted on coming," Micaiah said.

"What about?" Garrus asked.

"Garrus, after what happened in the woods, I wanted to ask you something. Are you one of the…" Micaiah stopped short of the label.

Garrus became stern, unable to think of the proper response to the implied meaning. Micaiah glanced over at Sothe for advice whether to continue with the subject. Garrus looked around carefully to ensure not a single soul was listening in. He gave a small nod. Micaiah looked down slightly. Silence hung onto the air for a moment.

"Micaiah, Sothe, promise me you will tell no one about this," Garrus demanded in a whisper. "Give me your word or I might as well leave."

Micaiah and Sothe looked at each other. They can tell Garrus was being deathly serious.

"You have our word," Sothe responded.

Garrus gave small sigh of relief. "Thank you. It is rare for me to trust someone with this."

"We need to rest tonight," Sothe said to Micaiah. "We have a big day tomorrow."

"What is the plan?" Garrus asked.

"We head to Navassa and liberate Daein tomorrow," Sothe answered.

"Sothe, you go to bed. I will need a moment to myself," Micaiah said.

When Sothe was out of sight, Micaiah slowly took off what was covering her right hand, and showed Garrus the back of her hand. Garrus' eyes widened.

"Dear Goddess…" Garrus whispered with loss of breath.

Micaiah smiled faintly, turned around, and left. Garrus stood there, wondering how he was surprised to find out what he had already suspected to be true.


	4. Chapter 4: Daein's Liberation

**Chapter 4: Daein's Liberation**

"Prince Pelleas, we need to do something!" Micaiah urged. "People are dying out there!"

"Is there no end to your lunacy, girl!" Izuka shouted back. "The Apostle's envoy is nearly here! Why be so rash when victory is so close."

"You would rather watch innocent people die?" Micaiah asked in outrage.

"I would!" Izuka retorted. "Victory demands sacrifices!"

Garrus stood at one of the back corners of the tent, in the shadows. At the other corner was the Black Knight. They were watching the argument ensue over the next course of action following Jarod's sudden attack on innocent civilians in spite of the Begnion Apostle's orders for a ceasefire.

"If you will not help, my friends and I will do it, again," Micaiah stated firmly.

"What? You can't be that dimwitted," Izuka shot. "You can't take the Laguz and charge into another harebrained mission!"

Unable to tolerate the bickering of command, Garrus quietly slipped past everyone and left the tent, blocking out every word of the heated argument. Outside the tent, he walked past Micaiah's companions. There were around a dozen of them, clearly distinguished by their non-military outfits, and they form a very skilled group with diverse fighting skills and support. The Dawn Brigade, as the citizens of Daein called them, was led by Micaiah prior to the discovery of the heir to the throne. Nowadays, the name as become obsolete with Micaiah leading the entire liberation army.

Garrus walked a short distance up to a ridge overlooking the great capital of Navassa in the distance. The morning sun gave a warming glow to the massive, impenetrable walls of the city. Navassa stood on the dry terrain at the base of the tall mountains behind it, with its indestructible foundation and towering levels. The morning colors and view made Garrus somewhat homesick. He used to retreat to a towering ridge overlooking Sienne when he needed his time away from people. The clear mornings would give a reflective glow and same stunning impression to the massive Begnion capital.

The difference was Sienne didn't have smoke and flames billowing from within its walls.

* * *

**Navassa, Daein**

Micaiah led the Liberation Army forces through the gates of the capital city, with Garrus and Sothe closely beside her. Under the rain of catapult fire from above, they pushed towards the Daein Keep at the top of the city. Almost every building in the city was engulfed in flames. Civilians were scattered about screaming, desperately trying the escape the burning city and Begnion soldiers. The heat was so intense that some were collapsing onto the ground from heat exposure. As the Liberation Army pushed towards the Keep, the army became smaller as soldiers split up to fight the Begnion soldiers, save the citizens, and douse the fires.

"Come on!" Micaiah cried. "We're almost there!"

They reached the top level of the city, and the Daein Keep towered in front of them. There was no fire, and there were no guards watching the perimeter. They were arming themselves inside. Micaiah, her companions, and Garrus stood at the front as a small but still sufficient army stood behind them. They beheld the Daein capital building with their own eyes. They were close to freeing their country. They were close to freedom.

"For Daein!" Micaiah cried.

The army roared at full strength. They forced their way into to the entrance of the Keep, and were quickly intercepted by Begnion soldiers. A massive fight ensued, but Micaiah led her companions around the fight in search of Jarrod. They ran through a maze of hallways and rooms, climbing numerous stairwells.

"This way!" Micaiah directed. They quickly emerged into a large room with a zig-zag incline layout.

"…give them a fight to remember. NOW GO!" a voice shouted from above.

"That's Jarod's voice!" Micaiah said.

Before much reaction or comment can occur, Begnion soldiers quickly noticed the brigade and attacked. Garrus managed to catch glimpses of the others while he made short work of the Begnion soldiers and fighters with his lance. Micaiah and her companions were more than formidable enough to pack the power of a small army. A silver-colored wolf was tearing enemies apart. The Black Knight did not even need to try very hard to clear a way. A young woman on a wyvern was raining terror from above while a thunder mage struck down heavily armored units.

_Begnion soldiers continue to be too predictable,_ Garrus thought as he made his way up a flight of stairs with the others. At the top of the second stairway, the group headed right, getting closer to Jarod. Garrus would have continued following, but something to his left caught his eye. He looked left and found a Begnion general looking at him. The general had a peculiar smirk on his face, which became a familiar grin. The same grin from three years ago. He turned around and walked down the hallway and through a large pair of doors. Garrus followed in pursuit, and entered a large, empty, high-ceiling room. The floor was covered in royalty red carpet, and the numerous chandeliers overhead lit the room fairly well. Standing in the middle of the room was the general. Garrus stopped several feet away from him.

"Three years, and you managed to find pity elsewhere," the general stated. "I can only assume they do not know who you are. How an abomination such as yourself surviving this long is a curiosity."

"What do you plan on getting out of this?" Garrus asked.

"Think of it as a service," the general answered, grinning yet again. "The Branded are crimes against the Goddess. They deserve to be beaten, captured, tortured, and killed; yourself included."

Garrus felt a burning anger inside, but noticed the lights above him getting quickly brighter. He impulsively dove as a chandelier crashed where he once stood. Garrus quickly got up, and noticed he was being approached by about three soldiers and a mage.

"I am sure nobody will miss someone such as yourself, Branded." The general signaled. "I hope you won't mind."

Garrus grabbed his lance off his back, leaped, and drove a soldier to the ground. Immediately, he turned to the side and stuck another, gaining the preemptive strike. The remaining soldier and mage, caught off guard, began attacking. All of the attacks directed at Garrus, however, missed. Garrus dodged the attacks and drove his lance into the remaining solider. The stunned and consequently clumsy mage made his job only easier. A very short amount of time passed, and Garrus finished. All three soldiers and the mage were dead on the ground. Garrus only had a scuff on his armor. He looked up to find a wide-eyed and pale person in heavy armor.

Garrus began approaching the general with glaring eyes and commenced charging at him. Caught off guard, the general grabbed his sword and barely blocked Garrus' attack. Garrus quickly adjusted and maneuvered quickly, giving small strikes to keep the general off balance. The general was having great difficulty keeping up in his cumbersome heavy armor. Garrus slammed his foot against the back of one of the general's legs and the general came down with a thud onto his hands and knees. Garrus kicked him over and pointed the lance at the general's face. The general became pale.

"Let me make one thing clear," Garrus said in a dark tone. "For almost my entire life, I have had to deal with people like you; people who have taken advantage of my condition to bring nothing but misery and get away with it."

Garrus lifted his lance and drove it through the general's chest. The general gave a small grunt of pain, and quickly slumped against the floor. "Consider yourself silenced," Garrus stated.

Garrus took a few steps back and observed the general's face. How did he know who Garrus really was three years ago? The general's face seemed faintly familiar, probably one of many who went after Garrus when he was much younger…

Garrus closed the door to the large hall, leaving behind the violent scene. He quickly paced down the hallways towards room where he last saw Micaiah and her companions. Garrus noticed one of the doors in the hallway was open, as a good amount of sunlight from outside came through the window of the room and spilled into the hallway. Garrus stopped and took a peek. A well-dressed young man was looking downwards through the window. A few guards stood nearby watching the door. Garrus slowly pushed the door further open and walked in.

"Prince Pelleas, what are you doing here? There is fighting still going on," Garrus noted.

A guard motioned to Garrus not to move any closer. Pelleas signaled the guard to let Garrus through.

Garrus walked up next to Pelleas and looked downward through the window. There was an excellent view of Navassa, but the sight was rather dire. Despite the increasingly clear victory against Begnion below, buildings were still on fire, and many civilians were still injured. The damage from artillery was not the only thing. Most of the "intact" buildings showed crushing poverty and neglect during Begnion's three year rule over Daein.

Garrus looked over at Pelleas. Pelleas had a rather sorrow yet determined look on his face. The prince had his work cut out for him. Not wanting to bother Pelleas further, Garrus turned around and began leaving the room.

"I never had the chance to thank you for your help," Pelleas suddenly spoke.

Garrus stopped and looked behind.

"I apologize for what Izuka did to you, and also for my remarks about the …Laguz," Pelleas said, continuing to look out the window. "But I want to thank you for what you did in helping us free Daein."

Without showing any sign of approval or disagreement, Garrus continued out of the room. As he left the room, he passed by a rather excited soldier that walked quickly into the room. He managed to catch the first sentence from the soldier.

"My Lord, the Priestess of Dawn wanted me to inform you that General Jarod has been defeated."

* * *

Garrus did not attend Prince Pelleas' coronation. Garrus could never stand watching royal ceremonies or any event for a high ranking government official; always about the pompous outfits, euphoric speeches as useless as dirt, and devoid of any motivation to do their actual job. At least, that is how Garrus perceived the Senators back in Begnion. For almost two decades, Begnion only had the Senators to rely on as the head of the government following Apostle Misaha's assasination, and Garrus disliked every Senator he saw. There was one exception. A few months before he left Sienne, a young girl of merely the age of ten became the new Apostle, to the tremendous joy of the entire nation. They have an Apostle again, the one who can hear the voice of the Goddess and bring prosperity back to the empire. The Apostle behaved so much older than she really was; very clever, and very talented with fire magic. Standing beside her was Prime Minister Sephiran, Duke of Persis. He was very popular with the people, the only Senator that, at the very least, looked like he cared about Begnion's future.

"What? Don't tell me you are leaving, too."

Garrus and Micaiah were standing outside the army camp, close to midnight. The next day was to be packing everything up. Sothe was nearby conversing with a short red-haired boy.

"First Tormod, Maruim, Vika, then Queen Nailah and Rafiel..." Micaiah continued.

Garrus had to admit to himself that Micaiah was putting up a really good argument for him to stay in Daein. Micaiah became Supreme Commander of the Daein armies, and she offered him to be an instructor, military commander, and become better acquainted with Micaiah's companions. It was an excellent opportunity to expand his skills.

"I'm sorry, but that is a dangerous plan for the both of us." Garrus gave a sigh. "My place is not here. Daein's views on…certain people makes me nervous."

"You can still stay, just not in the public eye so much," Micaiah suggested.

Garrus shook his head. "I told myself I will head back south after all of this is done. I have personal business there."

"There is something I need to tell you. I originally came here to make you an offer," Garrus explained. "But the people here need you. I can't take away the person who freed their country."

"What offer?" Micaiah asked, slightly puzzled.

"It is irrevalent now," Garrus blocked off.

"Will we see you again?"

"Maybe, but my business will take a very long time."

Micaiah ran up to Garrus and gave a hug. Surprised, he returned the hug.

"Good luck," Micaiah wished. Garrus broke into a smile, the first time in a long while.

Garrus checked he had everything, turned around, and began walking away from the walls of the camp, waving farewell to Micaiah and Sothe. But he was not heading south, back to the village in the Grann Desert. Once out of sight, he turned heading west, towards Crimea.


	5. Chapter 5: Countryside at Tension

**Chapter 5: Countryside at Tension**

"Why do you keep doing this? Just leave it."

Darren gave a sigh. It was a question he answered many times. "I promised your mother I would look after you, and I will keep to it."

But Garrus would always find very little hope behind those words. The two could never be seen together in public. Darren could not help his son out of threats. Garrus came home almost every other week with a minor injury at best. Garrus couldn't even approach the windows or walk through the front door of their own home in fear of a bystander possibly discovering where he lives. They were separated by society's barriers.

This time, however, Darren was mending a cut on Garrus' arm, the result of a person being "careless" with his knife.

"You never talked much about her," Garrus noted.

Darren shifted a little. Garrus tried many times to know more about his mother, but his father would drift into a solemn state and become disturbingly quiet. It was a very sensitive subject. The most Garrus could get was his mother was a red dragon Laguz, who came with his father from Goldoa when he was still an ambassador to the Begnion government. She quickly left Begnion within a couple years when the country decided to put Laguz prisoners into labor camps.

"Begnion became dangerous even for a dragon. If your mother was captured, it would have sparked an uncontrollable political disaster," Darren explained quietly. "Relations between the Beorc and Laguz were hostile enough as it is, but angering Goldoa would bring the entire continent to ruins."

Garrus heard this story before, only with more of a vague description. Darren would slowly let out more details as time passed, but he still left out some important ones.

"Your arm is good now," Darren said, finishing the bandage. "You best be going. Don't strain it too much."

Garrus stood up and gave a big hug. "Thanks, Dad."

"Know that I will always love you," Darren smiled. "Stay safe."

Garrus gave a big smile in return.

* * *

Garrus woke up against large tree on top of a hill overlooking the Crimea countryside. The dawn revealed rolling hills coated in lush grass, broken by small villages and crops. A constant breeze blew by, bringing in foreign yet refreshing air to Garrus, with an occasional bad hint of manure from ranches. Garrus had been traveling on foot for several days since he left Navassa. Crossing into Crimea, he was nearly bewildered by the sudden change in view. Crimea appeared to be very peaceful and full of life. It was a sharp contrast to Daein, and surprising given the Mad King's War three years earlier. Within the villages, there was a different tone: tension. Through the two villages that Garrus traveled through so far, he heard quiet rumors of a revolution in the works against Queen Elincia, mainly among young men who can't keep their voices down. It was a surprising find considering the country could have been sacked during the war. Garrus also found that the same young men constantly glanced at him and asked for combat methods due to his hardened look and well-forged armor. His appearance was not subtle in villages.

Garrus stood up from the tree and looked west. Sitting on top of a taller hill was a castle overlooking the many farms and vineyards of the area.

"Castle Falirae," Garrus muttered. Among the rumors, he also heard of a Lord Ludveck of Falirae being head of the revolution, but there were only rumors that couldn't be proven true, yet. Garrus picked up his lance, attached it to his back, and proceeded down the slope towards the castle.

Upon entering the town just down from the castle, it was apparent that Falirae was a center of command. Soldiers were everywhere; it seemed for every civilian, there were two soldiers. Disturbingly, the civilian population consisted of mostly women, children, and elderly, much like Daein before the liberation. The difference was nearly every able-bodied man in the town seemed to voluntarily join the rebel army. Equally disturbing were the number of eyes watching Garrus as he entered the town. In the town full of soldiers wearing white armor and helmets, Garrus stood out with is dark red plated armor, red hair, and lance on his back. He quickly made his way into an inn, where it was equally obvious it was impossible for him to blend in. He remained in his room for the next few hours, resting and waiting for the time he could leave with minimal fuss. But mid-afternoon brought a commotion outside. He checked out the windows and around the inn to see if the commotion involved him. It didn't. Garrus slipped outside, proceeded to the area near the entrance of the town where people were gathering. He peered over the group of people. He couldn't see what the gathering was about, but it was clear a group of importance entering the village caught much attention.

"One of the Queen's closest friends is here. Lady Lucia is here," one man said to his friend. "Who are those with her?"

"Looks like some fighters, a Heron princess, and a few Laguz," replied another.

_Heron princess?_ Garrus thought.

"Laguz, huh? Still don't trust those sub-humans."

Garrus winced at the statement. Night came quickly, and it was easy enough for him to get some shuteye. Considering he was an armed stranger who just happened to walk into town and hadn't spoken a word, he could be questioned soon. He was awoken late at night by voices outside on the other side of the wall in his room. The muffled language was not very distinct, but words could be made.

"My lady, you must keep your voice down," an old voice whispered urgently. "We cannot be found sneaking out at this time."

Garrus quickly grabbed his belongings and snuck out of the inn. Upon leaving the building, he barely caught the sight of two winged Laguz quickly heading south. Even with low light, Garrus noticed one wore a white dress and had angelic white wings.

_Heron princess…_ he noted.

He followed, staying in the shadows made by the moonlight and buildings. He could make out the other Laguz had really racked up the years, likely a raven, but could not find out more. They were heading out of the town through the south exit, but quickly took a somewhat obscured path that wound back northward into the steep hills just southwest of Castle Falirae. A cave was at the end of the path. As the two Laguz entered the cave, Garrus listened in for any voices. He could hear a young girl speak excitedly, but it was not in the Beorc language. The next voice could not be heard clearly, but it was in response to the girl's raised voice. He walked into the cave, feeling the walls through the dark. Garrus began to hear a third voice speak softly in the echoing cave, but still could not make out any words.

Suddenly, he heard a voice echoing from behind him.

"The red-haired mercenary you told us to keep an eye on went into this cave, sir."

"He is certainly one of the Queen's spies. Items of value to Lord Ludveck are stored here. Find that mercenary and kill him."

Garrus breath went short and he turned towards the cave's only entrance. He saw torchlight approaching.

"Shit…" he cursed under his breath.

He pulled out his lance, quickly found an indent on the cave wall, and stood in. The torchlight continued to approach, and Garrus remained frozen. With the light just about to expose him, he held his lance tight. The soldier came next to Garrus and looked over.

Alarmed, the soldier yelled "I found him!"

Without any hesitation, Garrus delivered a hard kick against the soldier's abdomen, knocking the soldier off balance and onto the ground. Garrus proceeded to drive his lance into the soldier. He heard armor clattering towards him, and darted towards the cave exit. An armored group quickly blocked his path, their attention at him. Almost immediately he noticed a sizable group coming from the side led by a young blue-haired woman. Caught off guard, the rebel soldiers were jumped. Among the friendly group, Garrus saw the Heron princess…and a solider with a large weapon lurking in the shadow next to her. Garrus sprinted.

"Watch out!" He yelled, and tackled the Heron, causing the weapon to miss by inches. As he and the Heron remain down on the ground, the clash of weapons and magic continued for a several more seconds before coming to a sudden halt. Certain that the clash was over, Garrus quickly got on his feet and helped the Heron. He looked up and saw a group consisting of a few Laguz and a few Beorc. It was easy to identify the young blue-haired swordswoman as the leader. She had a suspicious gaze on Garrus. The Heron Princess stood ahead of Garrus with her arm in front of him. She spoke again in an unfamiliar language.

"Leanne says he saved her," the old raven Laguz interpreted.

The swordswoman lied down her guard slightly. "What is your name?" she asked.

"Garrus," Garrus answered. "I…am a mercenary."

"What are doing in this cave?"

"I…uh…saw her and was hoping to find you to see Queen Elincia." Garrus motioned towards Leanne.

The swordswoman found the reason somewhat awkward. "For what business?"

"I cannot say," Garrus stated shortly.

"Not a very talkative man, is he?" one of the cat Laguz remarked.

The swordswoman gave some thought to the request. "My name is Lucia," she introduced. "I am a close friend to Queen Elincia. I can grant you permission to see her. If you want, you may travel with us back to the city. However, you must understand that we will be keeping an eye on you, stranger."

"That's fine," Garrus said. "Thank you."

"We must hurry out of the area and get the evidence to Elincia. It won't be long before Duke Ludveck's men finds out about this." Lucia started towards the cave exit.

The Heron princess turned to Garrus. There was an uneasy look to her green eyes as she looked at Garrus' eyes.

"Trouble…heart," she struggled out in a whisper.

Garrus tried to smile back to hide the problem, but realized nothing was getting past Leanne. He gave a light sigh. "I know."

They walked quickly to catch up with the group.


	6. Chapter 6: Contingency Plan

**Chapter 6: Contingency Plan**

Garrus has seen and been inside the building of the Begnion capital's greatest concentration of political power. The sheer might and size of the building inspired endless awe with its perfection of architecture, gardening, and stone craftsmanship. Just inside the entrance, the awe remained with the breathtaking amount of cavernous space created by the massive area and high ceiling, shiny marble floors, and plush carpets and mats. The detailing was immaculate. Likewise, Daein's palace inspired similar amounts of awe. It clearly was not as excessive as Begnion's, but the size and presence instilled much respect and pride for the country.

Crimea's palace was underwhelming compared to those two. The outside walls were made of the same stone as the city walls. The stone itself was of a rather plain gray color. Inside, it was nicely furnished and spotless, but clearly not as beautiful and detailed. The place was about the same standard as what a Begnion senator's personal home would be held up to. It was a humble, comfortable setting, with the feel of Crimea's commitment to the people before the nobles' expenses.

Garrus stood within the nicely polished court along with the Queen, Lucia, Leanne, the old raven Laguz, what appears to be Lucia's brother, and a few guards nearby. Travelling through Crimea's capital, Melior, people were surprisingly at peace. They were unsuspecting of the rebellion growing out in the countryside. It would soon change once people catch wind of all the soldiers walking around. Lucia stepped forward and presented Queen Elincia the evidence found in the cave.

"As we suspected, Ludveck is intent on rebellion," Lucia stated. "His followers are spread across the land, inciting insurrection. We have the documents to prove it."

As the queen read over the documents, Lucia's brother stepped in proudly. "Queen Elincia, I stand ready to defend the realm! I will lead the Royal Knights into Felirae, and we will seize the duke!"

Queen Elincia took her eyes off the documents and looked up at the siblings with concern.

"I am hesitant to resort to the sword without at least attempting diplomacy," she said. "At all costs, I must stop the people of Crimea from fighting one another."

Her kind and open demeanor seemed to symbolize Crimea itself. Much like the country, she had much respect and kindness for her people. She attempted peaceful solutions whenever possible to avoid bloodshed and grudges. She was open to suggestions. Also much like the Crimea countryside, she was very beautiful. Her slender outfit consisted of many different cloths of white, gold, and a soft orange, woven together to create an elegant and very subtle battle appearance she could move easily in. Her shoes, chest, and shoulders had white armor plating, but it was thin and not encumbering. Behind, she wore a wide white cape. The overall look was elaborate, yet somehow clean and simple. It was a perfect complement to her green hair, brown eyes, and young face.

"I will attempt to reason or negotiate with Ludveck before any bloodshed happens," Elincia continued.

A silence lingered as she finished reading the rest of the documents, and then handed them back to Lucia.

"Now, about our friend here…" Elincia looked up with a gentle smile.

Garrus was slightly startled. He and Elincia have never spoken to each other before, nor had they met each other before in their entire lives. Yet, she already considered him a friend.

"Leanne told me you saved her earlier," Elincia noted. "On behalf of Crimea and her allies, I offer you our thanks."

"Uh, you're welcome, Your Majesty," Garrus bowed his head.

"Lucia tells me you have something of importance to discuss with me," she continued with her smile. "However, you would not tell her what it is."

Before Garrus could answer, a door on the far side of the room was opened with considerable noised. A Crimean solider walked with an uneasy pace across the polished flooring. All looked over at the solider as he came up to Elincia bearing ill news.

"Your Majesty! News from the countryside!" the soldier spoke with a loud voice in panic. "Duke Ludveck has assembled an army and announced his intentions against you! The rebellion in Felirae is growing quickly!"

Elincia took in the news and looked over to Lucia's brother. "I see…Geoffrey?"

"He must have realized that his operations were no longer a secret," Geoffrey stated firmly. "Your Majesty, we have no time to waste. We must stand against this, for the future of Crimea!"

Elincia paused. A moment of indecision and concern crossed her face, and then she gave the order. "I understand. Geoffrey, leader of the Royal Knights... I hereby authorize the use of military force against the rebel army!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. At once!" Geoffrey quickly paced to the door the soldier came in.

"I will begin marshaling forces. This rebellion must be stopped...before nobles in surrounding areas catch wind of it." Lucia ran to catch up with her brother.

The solider was dismissed, as were the rest of the guards in the room. Only Queen Elincia, Garrus, Leanne, and her guardian raven Laguz remained in the room.

"I am sorry our conversation was interrupted," Elincia said to Garrus. "I hope delaying it will not cause any concerns."

"Don't worry," Garrus replied. "It is not of immediate importance."

"Thank you. We will talk it about sometime soon. In the meantime, you are free to be a guest here." Elincia turned to Leanne. "Princess Leanne, will you show our friend here his room. It will be the one across from yours."

Leanne gave a kind nod, and Garrus followed her. As they were about to leave the room, he turned to see Queen Elincia with closed eyes and self-doubt on her decision to send military force against her own countrymen. He began to hope it would not become a major problem to her abilities. It did not take long for Garrus to arrive at his room. Leanne's guardian already went into the other guest room. Leanne followed Garrus into his. Garrus unfastened his upper armored body pieces off and gauntlets. He left on his chainmail, undershirt, and armored legs and boots. He somewhat lazily dropped the unfastened armor softly onto the rug on the hard floor, with the plain lance he had since his prison breakout and his traveling pack dropped in the same manner. He sat down on the plush bed, its soft comfort allowing him to sigh in relieve. It had felt like a long time since he was in comfort and quiet. The inn at Felirae did not do much because of his suspicious appearance, keeping him alert.

He looked over at Princess Leanne. She was smiling but he knew she was concerned about him. The Heron princess, with her blonde hair, green eyes, white dress, and beautiful large white wings, closed her eyes and became saddened. Garrus knew why. Herons could sense a person's heart and see their emotions. They were also capable of singing songs to calm the pained soul. Lately Garrus had forgotten these small details, and the troubled feelings that slipped out troubled the Heron. He decided to not let her see much of this, and closed off. Leanne opened her eyes again and looked at Garrus with her small smile again.

"Sleep…well," Leanne stammered out with her gentle voice. She turned around and left his room, heading down the hallway, likely back to where Queen Elincia was.

Garrus sat there, wondering to himself why she cared much. Maybe Herons were sensitive to those who endured much mentally. Maybe she had pity for him because of however much she managed to see of his heart. Garrus had pity for Leanne. Twenty-three years ago, Princess Leanne's homeland, the Serenes Forest, was burned when the Begnion people decided that it was the Heron that murdered Begnion's Apostle. The Heron king went to a coma, and the two princes and the princess scattered, their fates unknown to many. Leanne seemed to have coped very well, and was surprisingly strong-willed for a Heron.

Garrus took off his remaining armor and chainmail, and changed into fresh clothes from his travel pack. The sun was still somewhat up, but he was exhausted. He lied under the comfy blankets of the large bed and sank his head into the pillow. Garrus feel into a deep slumber, with a nagging feeling that tomorrow would be a stressful day.

* * *

The stress began when someone rudely shook him awake. He was very slow to respond, but the shaking continued until Garrus could somewhat respond.

"Wha…un…tir.." Garrus could not speak clearly in his heavy state.

"Wake up. There is something important you need to do," a voice urged.

"Who..is it?" Garrus asked slowly, still half-asleep.

"Lucia," the voice answered.

"Ugh…," Garrus groaned less drowsily, his eyelids finally opening.

It was still quite dark in his room. Only the candle Lucia was holding provided light. Garrus slowly sat up on his bed and looked over at the window. It was still the dead of night and eerily quiet. A little bewildered, he looked back at Lucia.

"What important business do you want me to do?" he asked, attempting to rub more sleep from his eyes.

"Get ready to travel," Lucia stated shortly. "I will wait outside your room."

Lucia left the room before Garrus could ask any more questions. He may have started sleeping a bit before sunset, but clearly did not get much rest if he was sluggish for the next several minutes. He donned his armor, checked for all of his belongings, and took both his pack and lance with him. Garrus and Lucia paced down the hallway towards the main entrance of the hold. They did not exchange a single word, as Lucia motioned to him not to speak. Upon arriving at the grand lobby of the main entrance, it was completely deserted. The time must be at the deepest part of the night. However, there was another woman in a dark brown hooded robe standing near the main doors. Garrus followed Lucia to the cloaked woman. As they approached, the woman looked over at Garrus.

"We never asked what your name is," The woman said.

Garrus recognized the voice. "It's Garrus…Your Majesty."

"Everything is ready," Lucia said quietly to Queen Elincia. "Marcia, Brom, everyone you trust on this escort to the fort are waiting at the city gates. Garrus will take you there."

"Why me?" Garrus asked suddenly. "I'm a stranger who just came from Daein."

"Daein?" Elincia asked with noticeable interest. Lucia gave a slightly suspicious glance.

"I'm a mercenary who just traveled through Daein," Garrus said after realizing what he just mentioned. "I've only known the Queen for less than a day, and you are asking me to escort her?"

"Princess Leanne was most insistent that you could be trusted," Lucia stated. "It will also prove to be an advantage."

Lucia pulled out a small map of the city. "You will escort Elincia to this city gate. A Pegasus Knight by the name of Marcia will be the waiting. Outside the city gates, you will find the rest of the small group that will be traveling with Elincia to Fort Alpea. You have the advantage of being an unknown armed person who has not been seen before. You will not be mistaken as anyone serving Crimea. This escort serves as a contingency plan in case Geoffery's charge against Castle Falirae does not find Lord Ludveck and his main force."

Garrus took the map and placed it in his pack.

"When you leave the city gates, there will be a messenger there," Lucia continued. Tell him to head to me. He will know what is happening and will meet me in a small village to tell me if all went to plan."

* * *

The travel through the city was surprisingly eventless. Garrus was putting himself on the edge at first. He was escorting the queen alone, in the depths of the night, through deserted streets. Any robber could jump them and send the whole guise crashing down. Yet, not one unsettling alleyway or suspicious person came across their path. There were only a few prying eyes towards the cloaked woman walking alongside the armed mercenary.

"This city is the safest I've ever seen of anywhere," Garrus observed quietly to Elincia, avoiding the royal moniker.

"Thank you," Elincia smiled under the hooded robe. "It was something to smile upon before Ludveck's rebellion."

As the city gate came into view, a small commotion drew their attention to a bar by the gates.

"You idiot!" cried a young woman's voice. "You are leaving with General Geoffery tomorrow and all your rotten-milk brain can think of is drinks?"

"Marcia…" Elincia whispered.

Garrus understood that the pink-haired Marcia is (or was) a Pegasus Knight given that her red uniform matched the design from Begnion. Marcia continued standing at the door of the bar before giving up and heading down the steps. She almost immediately took notice of the hooded figure and an armed mercenary. Elincia stepped forward and pulled her hood back.

"Queen Elincia!" Marcia called quietly. "Who is this fellow?"

"This is Garrus," Elincia replied. "He will be helping us."

They followed Marcia through several doors within the city walls before emerging outside. Nearby was a small caravan with various fighters, magicians, and a few Laguz. Princess Leanne was among them. As Marcia, Elincia, and Garrus approached, the group became quiet and looked over. Garrus quickly identified the Lucia's messenger and jogged over.

"Elincia is with us," Garrus stated. "Tell Lady Lucia we are moving out."

The messenger nodded and took off somewhat too eagerly, something Garrus found suspicious. He quickly ignored the strange action.

The escort to Fort Alpea was mostly eventless if unsettling given the darkness of the countryside. Queen Elincia introduced Garrus to the caravan, but he did not make much conversation with any of them. Only Elincia and Leanne checked that Garrus was still with them watching their backs. When the escort arrived at the small fort, sunrise had just arrived. The few soldiers that were there were surprised to find their queen visiting them. While everyone settled in and chattering, Garrus decided to get his remaining shut-eye. He was generously allowed to sleep in a small guest room by Elincia's request.

With Queen Elincia safely escorted in secret to this small fort, Garrus could finally relax a bit more and rest well. Unknown to him, Princess Leanne was close by, singing a gentle song as he fell into yet another deep slumber, his tension easing away for the next few hours.


	7. Chapter 7: The Queen's Gambit Accepted

**Chapter 7: The Queen's Gambit Accepted**

Garrus slowly awoke feeling strangely refreshed. He swore he heard a voice singing to him earlier but decided to not ponder. The sun graced the high cloudless sky as a steady breeze blew in from the sea into Fort Alpea. Garrus took in a deep breath of the breeze that blew in through the narrow window and appreciated the soothing, if a bit salty, scent. He slowly got up, standing still for more of the sluggishness to wear off. The fort remained as quiet as it was at dawn. There was some more activity, but most were conducting their business quietly. As Garrus passed the doorway out of his room after getting dressed, a guard looked over.

"Excuse me sir," the guard prompted. "The queen wishes to meet with you when you are ready."

Garrus gave a small nod and proceeded towards the study room where he last saw Elincia. She was still there, sitting at a desk writing correspondence papers. She looked like she had just taken a nap. The lengthy escort of the night before wore everyone down. Upon entering the room, Elincia looked up and smiled.

"Garrus," Queen Elincia greeted. "I am sorry that we couldn't discuss what you wanted yesterday."

"It's fine, Your Majesty," Garrus replied shortly with a small smile.

"Now that things are somewhat calm, we can speak on the matter," Elincia said.

Garrus sat down in a chair in front of Elincia's desk. "I heard from my travels and noticed in your capital that Crimea is actively seeking alliances with Laguz nations."

"That is correct," Elincia said happily. "Tensions between the Beorc and Laguz have been too hostile in the past few decades. Crimea is proud to form alliances with those who helped defend our country during the Mad King's War, even Laguz."

"How is it turning out?" Garrus inquired.

"We have formed strong ties with Gallia. They helped us rebuild Crimea. The hawk tribe in Phoenicis are interested but have not responded much. The raven tribe in Kilvas is not too interested." As Elincia finished, an uneasy expression crossed her face. "The three Laguz nations have recently formed the Laguz Alliance and are thinking of declaring war against Begnion."

"That's…complicated," Garrus realized. "What is it about?"

"Begnion's treatment of Laguz the past few decades," Elincia explained. "We are allies with Galia, but Begnion also aided us greatly during the war. If the Laguz Alliance declares war, Crimea will have to remain neutral."

"What about Goldoa?" Garrus asked suddenly.

Queen Elincia had a slightly puzzled look on her face. "We have tried to contact the dragon Laguz several times but have yet to receive a single response. Why?"

"I also heard on my travels about the country's attempts to contact them," Garrus replied. "I would like to help."

"I appreciate the offer," Elincia smiled after a brief moment, but it disappeared just as quickly. "However, I do not think the court will accept a person of your status in diplomacy."

"I am not asking for an ambassador position," Garrus explained. "I am merely asking for somewhere to start to aid Crimea's attempts in contacting Goldoa."

"That is a strange request coming from someone such as yourself," Elincia noted Garrus's armor, but smiled again. "But I will consider your offer."

Garrus stood up from his chair and smiled. "Thank you, Your Majesty. That is all I wanted to ask."

As he proceeded towards the door, Elincia spoke up. "You are a mercenary, correct?"

"Yes, I am," Garrus answered.

"Have you ever heard of the Greil Mercenaries?" Elincia asked.

Something suddenly ticked in Garrus's mind. "Yes. A friend of mine...fought during the war three years ago. He told me about them."

"You look very well-trained," Elincia commented. "Perhaps you may consider joining them."

"I prefer to work alone," Garrus said with a hint of uneasiness.

"I am certain you will do well," Elinicia replied optimistically. "Ike is quite accepting of people of all kinds."

Garrus forced a small smile back and left the room. He heard about the Greil Mercenaries. They were an incredibly famous group of fighters in Crimea. They had the great distinction of being led by Crimea's young war hero during the Mad King's War, former general Ike. Stephan told him about them. Unrivaled swordsman and leader of the village of the Grann Desert where Garrus lived, he fought with Ike's army against Daein during the war. He also found and attempted to recruit another Branded from the group. From what Stephan described, the person was a rather gifted wind sage and master tactician who was quite adamant that he belonged with normal society and refused to leave Ike's side. The recent news with the group was they have not been seen in months. It only added to the queen's problems concerns in the midst of politics and the rebellion.

The next hour came and went much like earlier. No news had arrived regarding General Geoffrey's charge against Castle Falirae, and traffic in and out of the fort was carefully watched. As the final minutes of the hour came, so did a dracoknight riding atop a black wyvern. It caused a nervous stir as the man on the wyvern was questioned. He claimed to be carrying a message from the capital Melior, but his black armor with silver-colored outlines clearly said he is, or was, a dracoknight from Begnion. The quality of the large axe he carried also suggested he likely had great skill. Garrus watched from the higher level of the fort near the entrance to the indoors. The fort had a rather strange but effective tatical layout. Those seeking shelter would have to walk up some ways on the stairs but would prove an advantage for defending.

The soldiers allowed the dracoknight to pass. As he walked up steps towards the interior entrance, Garrus noted he had swept back brown hair, and wore an eye patch over his right eye. As the knight came at the top of the steps, Garrus noticed his tall figure, and the unmistakable yet subtle sleepy expression on his face.

"Captain Haar!" Garrus suddenly found himself standing uptight.

The dracoknight stopped and gave a confused look. "Lieutenant?" Haar realized a couple seconds later. He walked over to Garrus. "What are you doing here?"

"I left the service a few years back," Garrus explained shortly. "I'm a mercenary now. Crimea needed my services so here I am."

"That's a better excuse for a job than what I have," Haar grinned slightly. "I am a currier."

Garrus looked to the side as a chuckle slipped out. "That's…quite a change of careers for someone of your skill, Captain," Garrus noted.

"If I remember, Levail spoke very highly of you," Haar commented. "How is he?"

"I have not spoken to Captain Levail since I left," Garrus responded.

Haar gave a passive expression. "Still a shame you did not join the ranks of the dracoknights."

Garrus shook his head. He declined the offer back then.

"Good thing you didn't," Haar continued. "When you have crazy senators for superiors, overconfident rookies to command, and only your general and his daughter to keep you sane, you quit early."

Garrus merely gave a shrug, unable to comment.

"It was nice meeting you again, Lieutenant. I must really see the Queen," Haar walked off lazily. "And then I can find myself a nap…"

Garrus watched as Haar walked off, and then turned to the view in front of the fort.

Something was off. He noticed a spec of white in the distance, slowly moving along the path towards the fort. It looked like the Crimean army. They were probably reinforcements. However, Queen Elincia's location was kept secret. Only those at the fort and the Queen's trusted knew her location. The marching array of soldiers was also far too large for the fort to accommodate. And it can't be the Royal Knights because most were out attempting to capture Castle Falirae. The realization of what was about to happen hit Garrus with a sudden rush. He turned around and sprinted to sound the alarm.

* * *

The situation against the rebellion army had reached a near crisis point. News arrived that Ludveck had infiltrated Lucia's informant network and captured her. In addition, the army marching towards the fort was the main force of the rebellion, and it was sighted that Lord Ludveck was leading them. The whole fort was bordering on panic as everyone was trying to fortify the defenses. Their current saving grace was either get Queen Elincia out safely, or hold out until the Royal Knights arrive. The problem with the latter choice was no one knew how far away the knights were or even if they were on the way. The problem with the former choice was Elincia refused to run. She was going to command her forces personally.

Garrus could not tell if Elincia's decision boosted morale or added to the edgy atmosphere. Perhaps it was both. What was certain was however many soldiers were within the fort will soon confront the main force of Lord Ludveck's army. Everyone within the walls was holed up, as all the gates of the fort were sealed. It was not long before Ludveck's army arrived at the front gates. Instead of standing at the front gates, they started walking around the fort.

Everyone who stood at the fort's vantage point began looking at each other with confused looks.

"Why are they marching to the rear gate?" one mage asked.

As if on cue, yelling and metal clashing broke out from the fort's rear side. Everyone looked over and saw a sea of white-armored soldiers pouring in from the rear gate.

Garrus ran over to one of the soldiers. "Tell Queen Elincia that the rear gate has been opened! We don't have much time!"

The soldier wasted no time and rushed to the Queen. Garrus entered the fort interior and ran down the many hallways towards the rear courtyard. Garrus's running came to a sudden halt as he came across the armory. He looked at this current lance. He had it since he stole it off a Bengion soldier at that prison. He tossed it aside and grabbed another off the armory rack. It was short, light, and with a steel tip; standard military issue, but far better than his old rusted stick. As Garrus sprinted outside, he could see the calamity. The rebellion had not reached the upper level yet, but the noise says they were getting closer. Garrus ran down the steps and encountered a wall of the fort's defenders getting overrun by the flowing enemy count. As the fort's defenders retreated just past Garrus and the enemies were about to attack him, he engaged.

It came to him naturally. He had not fought in a battle since Daein's liberation. He was performing better than he thought. But something was making him hesitate. The rebellion soldiers were very inexperienced. They were too predictable. They merely charged straight on with youthful battle cries, and were easy to dodge. The rebellion soldiers were also poorly coordinated; they never planned on ganging up on others. They lacked team unity. They were young men.

_These people were sold on the sole idea of fighting for glory_, Garrus thought to himself. _They do not truly understand war._

There were some experienced veterans among the amateurs, struggling to give orders, but youthful ignorance caused the orders to fall on deaf ears.

Garrus decided to focus his attacks by delivering his attacks to the head. He attempted to cause mild concussions on the young soldiers to knock them out long enough that in the event Queen Elincia emerged victorious, they can be held prisoners and reconsider their actions. Whether Queen Elincia's soldiers were capable of the same ethical decision was a different matter. The rebellion soldiers were slain in self-defense.

The battle wore on where the minutes seem to have tripled in length. Maybe half an hour, or maybe an hour, passed before Garrus knocked out enough soldiers to create a fairly large concussion brigade. He managed to find a pause in the fight and leaned on his lance in exhaustion. He looked around quickly at the front lines. They were slowly being pushed back towards the top of the fortress, when Queen Elincia attempted to stand strong. The less experienced Crimean ally soldiers were barely holding the defensive line, and Elincia's the well-experienced non-army fighters were frantic in their attempts to help the soldiers. Among the fighters was Captain Haar.

"Captian Haar!" Garrus ran over.

The frighteningly experienced dracoknight looked over to Garrus after slamming an unfortunate rebellion soldier hard onto the ground.

"Is any help arriving?" Garrus shouted over the noise. "The defensive line is slowly falling apart!"

"A Pegasus knight came in earlier and said the Royal Knights are on their way. Queen Elincia has ordered everyone to continue their stand," Haar yelled back. "Watch out!"

Garrus wheeled around. Before he could block the attack of the enemy solider, a giant bolt of lightning came out of the sky and crashed into the soldier, courtesy of the mage standing on the ledge above him. The solider collapsed onto the ground with a thud. Almost immediately, Queen Elincia flew in and stopped next to Garrus.

"Queen Elincia," Garrus called in alarm. "What are you doing here? This is front line!"

Elincia did not respond. Her right hand held the royal house sword of Crimea. It was a slim design, with a lavishly decorated hilt and handle. Elincia was staring down at the bottom of the fort, at the center, where Lord Ludveck stood. He glared back at her, with a self-assuring smirk on his face. The battle continued with Elincia occasionally appearing at the front line, much to the panic of ally soldiers. Not much time passed before a clear battle cry was heard in a corridor on the east side of the fort.

"Your Majesty! We'll countercharge their flank!"

The most monumental expression of relief came across Elincia's face when she heard the cry.

"Geoffrey! Geoffrey, oh, Geoffrey!" Elincia repeated. She nearly fell off her Pegasus as if she believed it was a dream.

"The Royal Knights will succeed again! Indomitable knights of Crimea, this is the hour you have trained for! Hold the line, and run them down!" Geoffery order his knights.

The tide of the battle quickly changed. Morale among the allied soldiers soar to levels near what Garrus saw during his last days in Daein. Enemies were forced to deal with two fronts; the front where Garrus stood, and the front of the Royal Knights. The ranks of the enemy began to disintegrate. The noise continued for what felt like another half an hour, and then the rebellion army fell. Lord Ludveck was captured and taken to the fort prison.

Like everyone around him, Garrus also was relieved at the timely arrival of the Royal Knights and capture of Ludveck. He paced to relieve his tension. Soldiers of the rebellion were held captive by allies, and only some allied soldiers were fatally wounded. A few had died. Garrus decided to head to the high vantage walkway at the front of the fort to see the scenery. Upon reaching the top, a soldier ran past Garrus with blinding speed.

_What's his hurry?_ Garrus wandered. _Surely, everything should be fine no-_

He was rudely interrupted by the scene in front of the fort. There were more rebellious soldiers, but that was not the worrying part. There was a platform. Lady Lucia stood on it. A crowd surrounded her, with soldiers ready to hang her.

* * *

Garrus stood in disbelief as Elincia ran off to talk to Ludveck after witnessing what was happening to Lucia. The rebellion demanded Ludveck's release and Elinica's crown in exchange for Lucia's life. Haar joined Garrus at the top of the fort as they waited for the Queen's decision.

"I can't believe they planned this," Garrus gaped.

"Hm…Ludveck is very clever," Haar noted. "He must really want that crown."

"Even Begnion did not go this low. They only allow these kinds of public executions for outright dangerous criminals and…and…" Garrus began to lose grip of his reality over what he said next. "Branded."

Haar looked over at Garrus with yet another sleepy look. "Lieutenant?"

Garrus quickly tried to recompose himself. "I…uh…I'm fine," he ended shortly.

His eye suddenly caught some quick movement some distance past the crowd surrounding the platform. Focusing hard, he could make the figures of two people, attempting to climb a tree. Bows were attached to their backs. The climb was successful and they disappeared in the treetop branches.

"I think I saw two people climbing a tree back there," Garrus pointed.

Haar did not make a response. His attention was clearly directed at Lucia. Several long minutes passed before Queen Elincia reappeared at the top of the fort to deliver her decision to the rebellion army. She was clearly in deep distress but through massive effort managed to speak in a clear voice.

"Rebel soldiers, hear me!" Elincia called. "Ludveck of Felirae, having conspired against the nation, will stand trial. As the queen and ruler of Crimea, I refuse to negotiate with those bent on destroying it."

The lead soldier on the ground looked up at Elincia. Elincia stood by her decision.

"Your Highness! Your trusted friend will now die. Let this burn forever in your memory!"

Everyone atop the fort stood silent and completely motionless. Garrus did not look around to see the reactions. His eyes were fixed on where Lucia stood, where she stood the whole time, but now had a rope around her neck. Every passing second was one step closer to another terrifying chapter in Crimea's history. He could hear Elincia's breath become incredibly shaky. Garrus's eyes looked over to the tree where he saw two archers climb earlier. He had not noticed any movement since the tree climb. If they are here to save Lucia, now would be the time.

And they did.

Without warning, an arrow came streaking out of the tree branches and cut the robe around Lucia's neck before pinning onto the nearly wood pillar. Lucia fell back before being caught by a blue-haired swordsman that Garrus could not make out. The entire crowd surrounding the stage gasped in unison. The swordsman unsheathed his sword and cleaved two rebellion soldiers clean off their feet. Almost immediately, two knights appeared and were knocking more soldiers off their feet. A swordswoman, a wind sage, and other fighters of what appeared to be a mercenary group aided. Garrus looked to his side to find Geoffery's lit expression.

"Queen Elincia! It's Sir Ike and the Greil Mercenaries. They came to our aid!" Geoffery exclaimed. "I'll deploy my knights at once."

Geoffery quickly ran off, unaware of Elincia's dazed expression. She collapsed onto her knees, breathing deeply in relief.

"I will watch on her, Lieutenant," Haar stated. "You go rest…"

Garrus nodded and proceeded slowly back inside the fort. It was deserted, as nearly everyone was near the front of the fort witnessing the Greil Mercenaries or in the dungeons keeping an eye on the prisoners. He walked into his bedroom and left his lance leaning against a single weapon rack. He left his armor on in case another emergency happened. As he began to lie down on his bed, his head fell and stuffed itself into the pillow. Garrus gave a deep sigh.

It was one of the most hectic days he had ever experienced.


End file.
